Opinion: CT’s opioid settlement is for saving lives, not balancing books

CT Mirror – Tuesday, August 12, 2025
By Benjamin Howell, MD

Benjamin Howell, MD, is on the faculty of the Yale Program in Addiction Medicine, Yale School of Medicine.

Since the start of Donald Trump’s second presidency, we have been bombarded with news of reductions in federal funding for programs that provide critical services to Connecticut residents. These include cuts to disaster response, Medicaid, libraries, job programs, and more.

As the federal government pulls back funding, the General Assembly and Gov. Ned Lamont will be tempted to move funds from the hard-won opioid settlements to fill the gaps. This temptation should be resisted. The opioid crisis is ongoing and devastating.

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